


Electromagnetic Concentration

by stellations



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:34:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9668840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellations/pseuds/stellations
Summary: Helen notices Nikola's absence and her gut tells her it isn't wanderlust this time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired entirely by a bunch of [Tesla-isms](http://viennainspringtime.tumblr.com/post/157086941571/things-i-love-about-nikola-tesla-sanctuary-his). Somehow that spawned a huge fic. IDEFK.

He’d been gone for days. 

Helen was no stranger to Nikola’s often intense wanderlust. Even now, he’d taken to wandering for the surface or New Praxis whenever the urge hit him. Since the conception of whatever their relationship now was, he _had_ admittedly stayed in the new Sanctuary more than Helen had ever expected him to. Of course, she was hardly about to complain about that. She rather enjoyed having him here with her and his absence had suddenly become a knife that twisted into her. When had that happened?

She shook herself inwardly, taking a sip of her tea as she made her way to the window in her office. When she'd designed the new Sanctuary, she had purposefully placed her office in a location where she could see "outside." Despite not actually being on the surface, she felt she'd done a decent enough job of emulating it. Sometimes when she looked out there at the grass and the waterfall, she could convince herself that they really weren't underground at all. It looked real, close enough to the surface not to be an illusion, and that comforted her on her oddest days. Whenever Will would give her that look like he _wanted_ to trust her but couldn't quite manage it or when she would miss her Old Friend too desperately to continue, she would slide down onto the window seat with a cup of tea and simply watch the water or the grounds or even the light playing around in the "sky." Sometimes she could see the merfolk lifting their heads above the water or the way their fins caught the light and made ripples in the depths. Her lips curled upwards just slightly as she watched today; she could just barely make out "Sally" among them, never having trouble picking out another of her oldest Sanctuary friends. 

Somehow with the reminders of all of these people she'd grown accustomed to and creatures she loved dearly, her mind wandered straight back to Nikola and a frown creased her brow. Where the hell had he gone this time? He'd barely even told her he was leaving. In fact, she couldn't even remember that he _had_. It wasn't entirely unexpected. Even when she was still in Old City, he hadn't exactly been forthcoming about when he would drop by, for how long, or when he would leave again. She should have known this would happen.

But as her head rested against the glass of the window, she found herself saddened by it. His absence was not a wound she had thought she would bear like this. Even knowing that he was alive somewhere, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. This time didn't feel like a case of prolonged wanderlust. 

No one would believe her, so she kept it to herself. Either that or they wouldn't care. No one else cared for him or understood him the way she did. 

Sighing to herself and draining her tea cup, she pushed herself to her feet again. She could give him a few more days before she started worrying. With their new relationship, she didn't want to smother him, but he had to know that she preferred to have him nearby, because she both enjoyed his company and wanted to ensure that he wouldn't get into too much trouble. He always had a habit of getting into trouble. She shook away the idea of sitting near the old autotype again just in case Nikola set it off with a message for her and instead settled herself back in the chair at her desk. One week; that was what she could give him. After that, she would see if she could track him down. 

She always did in the end.

Another teacup clattered onto her desk and she nearly leaped out of her own skin, realizing she hadn't been paying attention to her own office. That did not happen very often at all. Glancing up into Will's slightly apologetic face ― it wasn't enough to qualify as _actually_ apologetic, but it was enough that she could tell he was sorry to have surprised her like that ― her eyebrows rose considerably. 

"Didn't mean to startle you," he commented, despite knowing that she must have been miles away if he managed to sneak up on her from the front. 

She gave herself a little shake as her lips thinned. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, you were way off there. You okay?" he asked, peering at her. She could tell he wanted to ask her more, like what had her so distracted, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to right herself, hoping to cut him off before he could begin.

"I'm fine." Her trademark answer. She could almost hear him sigh with irritation in response; she wasn't fine and they both knew it. Things between them hadn't been the same since she rejoined the timeline and now he knew exactly why. Why _everything_. Why she hadn't told anyone about what she was doing, why she hadn't trusted him with it. The end result, she could tell, was a protege who wanted desperately to believe in his mentor and trust her, but who couldn't bring himself to lay everything at her feet and know without a doubt that she would do the best thing for him and everyone else. It hurt, knowing that he didn't trust her; she understood entirely why he _couldn't_.

In an effort to pull them both a little more towards each other and melt the ice that suddenly sprang up between them, she leaned a little more forward, resting her arms on her desk. "Will, I wanted to talk with you and Henry."

He paused, glancing at her with that look like he was halfway into his psychologist mode while also wanting to be _anywhere_ else. "About?"

"Heeey, Doc―" Henry came hurrying into the office then, nearly stopping in his tracks as he spotted the looks Helen and Will were giving each other. Like as not he could also sense the tension between them. He'd gotten good at that, too. "I can come back." He tossed his thumb over his shoulder in a clear offer to head out.

"That won't be necessary," Helen assured him, motioning towards the chairs in front of her desk.

"Yeah, we were just having a friendly conversation," Will agreed, though his tone suggested it was slightly less than. Helen sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long day. 

Henry's eyes slid from one of them to the other, looking not in the least convinced. "Yeah, okay. Sure. Uh... you wanted to see me, Doc?"

"Both of you, actually," Helen offered, affecting her best and most welcoming smile given the situation. It... wasn't much of either, but she did try. "Will mentioned something recently about wanting to see Abby and I thought I should speak with both of you about your respective―" Girlfriends. Lovers. Mother of a child, in one case. "―lady friends." She was so old-fashioned, some would say. Her terminology was far out-dated.

Pushing that aside, she turned to Henry first. "Things have calmed down enough now that I wanted to extend the offer to you to invite Erika here to live with us now. She'll be safe here and we can watch over her during her pregnancy. If that's what she wants, she absolutely has a place here." Helen felt very strongly about keeping the HAPs close, especially since Erika would be starting to show soon. At this stage, she wanted only the best for Henry and Erika, both of whom she looked at as a mother would. 

"As does Abby," Helen continued, turning now to Will. His brow was creased with a frown, one she knew was the result of him trying to figure out what she was after. What was her angle this time? "She has proven time and again that she has what it takes to work with us. Ultimately, it will be her choice, something the two of you can discuss, but she has choices. She can either come here full-time and work with us in everything that we do, _or_ she can stay topside and be our inside view of SCIU."

Will nodded slowly, glancing at Henry, who made a _it's not a bad offer_ shrug. They all knew the risks both positions would show, but one sounded better to Helen, at least. She would be happier with Abby here and she knew Will would as well. 

"We'll have other options for liaisons inside SCIU," she pointed out after several seconds' silence. "Abby isn't the only one we could call and she _is_ already tied to us, however indirectly. She would be under the microscope quite often, I would imagine." The pressure would be difficult, but Helen did not doubt that Abby could handle it. The woman had already shown her prowess and loyalty last year. She could handle just about anything the Sanctuary could throw at her, which was why Helen wanted to make the full offer. Having Abby working for them would be an asset.

"Think it over, discuss it, both of you. When Erika and Abby have their decisions, we'll talk it over. All right?"

Henry and Will both nodded. Will clapped the back of a chair. Helen watched him walk out, knowing that he had more he wanted to say, more he wanted to discuss with her. They both had a lot to say to each other, but words so far had not quite come to either. Perhaps soon. _Hopefully_ soon. Helen missed the closeness of her protege and friend.

The bitter part was that she had no one to blame but herself.

#

Will had a lot to think about from that five minute conversation with Magnus. A lot of it was more of the same, how he desperately wanted to feel like he could trust her, but knew that he couldn't. Not after last year. He _wanted_ to; he remembered days in the last four years where he felt like he could trust her with anything. She had been his mentor; more than that, she had been a mother-figure to him in some respects. Not having her stability, not being able to trust her statements and take her at face value, hurt. It hurt more than he wanted to think about.

Yet here he still was, working for the Sanctuary and for her. This was a life he didn't want to give up, even if it meant analyzing everything she said from here on out. There were some things he could deal with and he supposed he would have to get used to this one, too. He had tried the "normal" life thing before and it hadn't worked; if he gave this one up, he would be giving up more than just a life, more than just his own sanity, and it wasn't worth it to him. 

The whole thing grated on him anyway as he made his way up the steps to Abby's apartment complex. She was waiting for him in the main entrance and when he stepped in to hug her in greeting, he could tell that she knew right away that something was bothering him. He couldn't mention it out in the open, though, so she let him slip inside and led him up to her apartment. Once inside there with the door locked, he dropped his bag on the floor and swept his girlfriend up in his arms. They hadn't been able to see each other as much as they wanted the last few months. Living underground was tough; living underground with a boss who was supposed to be dead was like being forced into a long-distance relationship with the rest of the world. But it was necessary, so Will was dealing with that, too.

It just meant that the time he did have with Abby was all the sweeter for their separation. 

"Hey, Will," she murmured into his ear. He could practically hear the smile in her tone and it went a long way to easing his worries. She was good like that; she could ease his mind in just about any situation and he relaxed right into her embrace. For a few minutes, he just stood there, drinking in the smell and feel of his girlfriend. Abby was everything he ever needed and he wanted her with him. More than just once a week. 

"Hey, Abby," he echoed when they finally pulled back, a gentle smile crossing his face. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

She giggled that lovely little laugh of hers and his heart immediately felt lighter. This was a good idea. Even if he didn't have something to talk to her about, just seeing her put the light back into his life. He needed that. 

"I love you," he continued, brushing a little bit of her hair behind her ear, as though keeping contact with her would make the nightmare of the last year go away.

Her smile brightened further, if that was even possible. "Aww, Will. I love you, too, but I know that's not why you're here."

Will huffed out a laugh, as much of one as he could manage. "You're right. I wish I could say it was, but... it's not."

"So, what's going on?" she pressed, taking his hand in hers and gently running her thumb across the back of it.

"I would have come to see you soon anyway," he admitted, giving her hand a light squeeze. "But Magnus asked me to talk to you. She wants to offer you a spot on our staff, but she wanted me to talk it over with you first."

Abby's brow creased in concentration. "What, now? She's actually offering me a job? I didn't think she ever would. I mean, I didn't think― She's not expecting me to sign a contract, is she? Am I gonna have to leave? Oh! Will I finally get to see where you guys all went? Does this mean―"

"Abby," Will called softly, prying her back away from her spazzy nature. He loved her, loved the way she could derail and keep going, but right now he needed her to focus. 

"Right, right. Okay, so what's the catch?"

"Catch? There is no catch. Magnus is offering you a spot with us. If you want it." He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair, mussing it a bit as he tried to work his way through what had and hadn't been said. "She said you've been nothing but a wonderful help to us. Your assistance last year was invaluable and she really thinks you have what it takes to be a good Sanctuary worker."

Abby's smile blossomed slowly, like a flower opening for the sun. It was beautiful to see and Will felt his heart sing just a little bit at the sight.

"It's not your only option, though. Which is part of why I'm here. You and I need to... talk some things over." He paused, debated for five seconds, and then plowed on. "About us."

That smile slipped off like wet paint dripping to the floor and he hated to have to kill it so quickly. So he reached up to her shoulders with both hands, gently rubbing to reassure her.

"I hate being separated from you, Ab," he continued before she could start up on another of her train rides. "This seeing each other once a week if we're lucky thing sucks. I understand why. You needed to shake SCIU's eyes; I quit and ran off, so they've been hounding you. I get it. But I want... I want both lives. I want to keep going with the Sanctuary, with Magnus' work, but I don't want to sacrifice you along the way. This time... it's not my choice. It's yours. And Magnus says you can either stay up here on the Surface and be our inside eye into SCIU like you have been―" He paused for a few seconds to let that settle. "―or you can come back with me, learn how to be a real Sanctuary worker, and see the new place. It's great, Abby. You'll love it."

She didn't respond right away, thinking it over. It was a difficult choice, he knew. In her shoes, he probably wouldn't have as hard a choice to make, but he'd always hated SCIU more than she did. He hated the "real world" more. The last year soured her, though, so maybe... just maybe she might make the choice he thought she would. If she was really happy here, he might be tempted to eat his shoe.

"I like being needed," she started and he knew it would take some convincing. "I like knowing that I have a place in your work, that when the sun goes down you won't forget me or what I can do for you. I like knowing that you can call on me in the dead of night and I can help you with whatever SCIU-related Abnormal thing you need."

Will had expected that answer. Abby was nothing if not extremely loyal. 

"But... if she really made that offer..." Abby paused, ducking her head and moving a little further into the apartment's living area before turning to look at him with such a pained expression on her face that he really thought he might be losing her. "I don't want to leave you, Will. I don't like... saying good-bye and not knowing if I'll get to see you again. And if... if you really think Magnus might actually want me on the team... then I want to learn. I want to see whatever it is you see every day. I want to help these Abnormals. I want to... be a part of something bigger and better than SCIU." 

She hated SCIU. He could see that as plainly on her face as the sky on a clear day. Stepping forward, Will reached for her hands again, wanting to let her know in no uncertain terms that he was there for her. Whichever path she chose, she wouldn't lose him. 

"Then come with me," he encouraged gently. "Quit SCIU and come back to us. Magnus would love to see you again and I know she'll help you train. It's gonna be intense. Sanctuary work always is, but I know you can do it." He smiled warmly at her, leaning over to kiss her briefly. "You're an asset no matter which one you choose and I'll stay with you no matter what."

Abby moved forward to wrap her arms around him, holding him tightly. Will clung just as much to her, letting her be a lifeline for him, as much as he knew he was for her. 

"I'll need a week, Will," she finally responded before she pulled back to gaze into his eyes. He loved her blue eyes. "I have to quit SCIU formally and I want to leave on good terms so they don't have reason to follow me." 

It made sense, though Will hated knowing they would be separated for another week.

"I'll call you when it's all settled, okay?" A smile, bright and warm and wonderful, slowly spread across her face, like she was the keeper of a secret she was offering just to him. "And then you can come sweep me off my feet and away into the sunset."

Another kiss was the only answer he could give at first. She leaned into it, letting him sweep her off her feet right then. Literally.

"I think that sounds great," he replied, carrying her into the bedroom and kicking the door shut for the night. He would have to leave before the sun rose the next morning, but that was all right. All that mattered was that Abby had just answered an important relationship question. They were staying together and in a week she would come home with him. They wouldn't have to be separate for any longer than that.

#

Henry loved his new lab. It was shiny and had everything he could ever want as far as technology. In the last few months, what Magnus hadn't managed to save from Old City she had gotten for him in other ways and he had built a new system. Or, well, tacked on a new Foss system to the Praxian-style one that was originally there. What it made was an intensely strong system that Henry liked to think was impossible to hack. Really damn close to impossible to hack. He kept a close eye on it every day, as much as he could, but with the Praxian additions, he was less worried here than he'd ever been in Old City.

That also meant that sending secure transmissions, or even something as simple as a Surface Skype message, was a lot easier. Usually, he didn't bother much with Skype, only using it when he wanted to talk to Erika. Which was exactly why he was using it today. He missed her. And he had something to talk to her about. 

As soon as the systems connected and Erika's face popped up on the screen, Henry felt a thousand times less― more― _less_ nervous than he had been. He felt his mouth curl into a relieved smile and loved the way hers softened with her smile. He loved everything about her, really. She was wonderful. He could lose himself in her smile―

"Henry."

Her light laugh snapped him out of his thoughts. "What― Right! Right. Uh... Hi. It's really good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Henry. I miss you."

"Yeah, I miss you, too." He really, really did. But he could spend days, _weeks_ , talking about how much he missed her and that was so not the point of this call. "Hey, uh, speaking of that, part of why I wanted to call you was because of the Doc."

Erika's smile turned into a mildly confused frown. "Magnus? What does she want?"

Henry took a breath and promptly failed to respond. "Aahhh, it's nothing bad," he finally managed to get out. Leaning over and resting his elbow on the desk, he pinched the bridge of his nose briefly.

"Then why do you look like you're about to say something really terrible?"

She was confused and that was making her nervous which was just making _him_ nervous. He needed to focus. Deep breaths. 

"Because the last time I asked you something like this, you turned me down." ...Not what he'd been intending to say, but he could still make it work. Erika looked taken aback. "Magnus wanted to invite you to the new Sanctuary. Since it's safe here now and everything's calmed down with SCIU, she wants you to know that you have a place here, somewhere you can... go through the rest of this whole future mom thing in safety. And I gotta admit... the idea of having you here? I want that. I miss you so much, but... it's your choice. I mean, I'll still visit as much as I can if you decide to stay topside..."

He let his voice trail off, knowing that she would understand. He'd rather have her down with him, living in the safety of the Sanctuary. She might not want that and he could see the gears turning in her head as she considered. Henry knew her feelings about living in an institution. She'd grown up in one, grown up fearing everything she was and everything she could be because her crazy aunt wanted to control everyone with fear. Now Erika had a chance at a new life and she'd already chosen to stay out of the Sanctuary once. Twice would be hard to deal with, but Henry wouldn't stop her. He'd just always be there to help out as he could and if that meant leaving the Sanctuary...

It would hurt so much to leave Magnus. But for his family? She'd understand.

"Can I come for a visit first and then decide?" Erika asked finally, looking as though Henry were asking almost too much of her. 

"Yeah. I mean, I'll have to ask the Doc, but I don't think she'd say no at this point." Magnus wouldn't have offered to have Erika come down here if she didn't think Erika trustworthy enough for a visit. 

"All right. Whenever would work best, I'd like to see it." 

Erika tried for a hesitant smile. Henry returned it warmly, trying to bolster her. It seemed to work and soon they were chatting animatedly about what she'd been doing, what she'd seen of London in the last week, and what the baby had been doing. So far her pregnancy was going really well and Henry was elated for that. What he really wanted was to be able to see for himself, to feel the tiny kick that Erika described, and to hold her close to him. He loved her. And he loved baby Alistair, too.

...Or baby Alice. Whichever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sight felt like a reminder of those six decades she had spent without hide nor hair of him. Dust everywhere colored bottles she would have expected to see straight through.
> 
> On second glance...

Eight in the morning on a Friday. A week had gone by and every day Helen had scoured the Sanctuary for any sign that Nikola had returned. To them. To _her_. But so far, nothing. He was still gone. She had even gone as far as to start leaving wine bottles on desks and cabinets in his frequently visited locations and _still_ nothing. She never did leave those bottles overnight, preferring to keep them safely tucked away in her new wine cellar.

He hadn't even been there and she could tell based entirely on the amount of dust and lack of fingerprints on the bottles. 

Huffing out a breath of frustration, she stopped with one hand against one of the wine racks, as if holding onto the metal would help her figure out what the hell was bothering her so badly. This was hardly the first time Nikola had ever wandered off for an extended period. He was well-known for popping in and out of her life on a whim. So why was this time different from all the others? Likely it felt different because they were seeing each other. Was that it? No, it couldn't be _all_ that itched at the back of her neck. 

Her gut kept telling her it wasn't simply wanderlust that had Nikola away. That meant that he was off doing who knew what and likely getting into trouble. She had one more idea of a place to check and if he wasn't there, she would at least be in the right place for phase two. Sighing to herself, she glanced through the rack in front of her one last time. None of the bottles had been disturbed. The sight felt like a reminder of those six decades she had spent without hide nor hair of him. Dust everywhere colored bottles she would have expected to see straight through. 

On second glance...

A frown creased her face as she noticed something missing in the middle of the rack. Two somethings. A Chateau Margaux and further down a Côtes du Rhône. The first he had stuck on his desk in the SCIU Abnormal laboratory last year. The second had been with the group of wines he'd drunk after getting _fired_ from SCIU. Two mentions of SCIU in as many breaths plus a mention of how utterly depressed and angry he had been? 

"Bloody hell!" she shouted to the ceiling as she turned and ran from the cellar, angry at herself for having missed any and all clues previously. 

Usually, she would take the time to properly appreciate the new Sanctuary every time she passed through the entryway and the Waterway behind it. This entire place was the culmination of over a hundred years' worth of work. She liked to remind herself of what this place stood for. Sometimes that meant staring at the grounds and sometimes it meant walking through the Victorian-style double doors to an open area laid deep into the rocks behind the waterfall. Here she would gaze through the long staircase from her position at the top to the bottom ― watching the Abnormal habitats to the side of each level, situated like risers for a choir ― and then her gaze would drink in the strong Praxian-type glass immediately overhead and spread out like the top and sides of a very, very large tunnel. Through that glass she could see the habitat of the water-dwelling Abnormals and if she kept moving down the staircase, eventually she would come to a point where the top and sides became a real tunnel of glass, only a few meters in diameter. This was the easiest way to get from one building to the other and she often liked walking it if only to check on her Abnormal friends. 

Today, she breezed right through it, jogging down the stairs and running through the tunnel, stopping only long enough to press her hand to the glass in greeting to "Sally" before continuing on. Eventually, she careened into Henry's new lab, catching herself on the door frame with one hand.

"Henry!"

Her HAP son visibly startled, wheeling his chair around to face her, all wide eyes and open mouth. " _Geeze_ , Doc. Don't _do_ that!"

She winced apologetically, trying to catch her breath as she moved further into the room. "Sorry, Henry."

"You okay?" he asked, eyeing her like she was going to explode at any second. "You look like you just ran the length of the Sanctuary."

"I did." His eyebrows rose, but she waved him off, pointing at his computer monitor. "I need you to look into something for me. See if SCIU has been active recently, anything out of the ordinary."

"Wouldn't Abby be the better one for that?" he pointed out, looking confused even as he turned back around in his chair to get started.

"Normally, yes, but she's here with us now," Helen reminded him. Abby hadn't come to the Sanctuary yet, but she was on her way. Or would be soon, according to Will. "She quit SCIU. I can have her ask her contacts, but until we find a new inside eye, we're flying blind. I need to know if there's anything they're up to and you're the only one who can hack their systems down here."

"Right, right..." Henry paused, a look of concentration sliding across his face. "What about Tesla?"

No verbal answer followed; she just shrugged, pursing her lips into a firm line as though to say _He's gone_. Nothing else really needed to be said. Henry understood immediately. This was entirely to try to find Tesla because the man had disappeared without telling her and she suspected either he was in trouble now or he would be soon. That was the problem with him, the only real one these days: he didn't often think everything through. He got the bare details in his mind and enough determination and confidence to make it work and then ran off, consequences be damned. Helen always had to be the one to dig him out of whatever metaphorical hole he'd managed to get himself into. 

Patting Henry's shoulder with no small amount of gratitude, she turned to leave, hoping dearly that this wouldn't be another of those Source Blood centipede issues. 

Will's office was her next stop. Pausing by the doorway, she knocked on the frame. 

He glanced up from his desk, motioning her in with something akin to a smile. "Hey."

Things were still dicey between them, but Abby's acceptance into the Sanctuary fold had been as much of an olive branch as it had been a consolidation of power. Helen had hoped that having his girlfriend here and out of SCIU's prying eyes would make Will a little less angry with her. It seemed to have worked. Sort of. He was still hurt and she could hardly blame him. What it would take to smooth more of that out, she didn't quite know, but she was doing her best to show him that she was more or less done with purposefully hiding things from him. She could and did trust him; he still didn't quite trust her.

The reason she was here to ask Will to contact Abby instead of doing it herself was also an olive branch. 

"I'm asking Henry to look into recent SCIU activity," she explained, knowing that Will would be analyzing her every word and movement. "I was hoping you might be able to ask Abby to check her contacts, see if anyone's noticed anything unusual."

"Are we expecting anything?" Will asked, watching her closely with that look she had come to associate with his psychology background activating. She hesitated, visibly warring with herself about whether or not to answer. "Magnus..."

His prompt gave her another choice. "Nikola's been gone for a while and I just turned up two missing wine bottles, both with ties to his time in SCIU," she explained, choosing to be honest with him in the hope that it would foster trust and a return to the relationship they'd once had. "One while he was working for them and one after he was fired."

Will's eyebrows rose and she knew he was putting together the pieces as best he could. Admirably so, as he always did. "So you think he's picked up SCIU activity and might be...?"

"I don't know what his agenda is," she admitted with a shrug, "but that's what I intend to find out."

"He's always got one, you know," Will reminded her, fixing her with a look that told her was going to say _I told you so_ if this ended badly. 

"I know," she replied, sighing wearily. Much as she loved Nikola, he _was_ predictable. "Every time."

The corner of Will's lips edged up and some of the tension between them eased. It wasn't enough to make everything fine between them and Helen knew it, but it was something. It was a start. Her lips curled upwards into a small smile and for a moment they just had mutual resignation about the whole thing regarding Nikola. Maybe the vampire was good for her, Helen mused as she pushed away from the door frame and turned to leave again. Despite everything, he was helping bridge the gap between Helen and her protege. Who would have imagined that happening?

#

"Hey, Magnus?"

Helen paused a few days later in the middle of her paperwork as the sound of Will's voice floated through her office. He didn't come visit her much anymore and she usually tried to put aside whatever she was working on if at all possible so she could give him her undivided attention. Granted, it was in an effort to show him that he meant more to her than he thought he did, but she did want to pay attention when he deigned to drop by. Usually he had something important for her.

Pasting on a smile, she folded her hands over her desk. "Got something for me?"

He knew what she was doing, but luckily he didn't call her on it. Instead, he settled into one of the chairs opposite her and rested his arms on the other side of her desk. That was how she knew it was serious, even more than usual. 

"Yeah. I talked to Abby and she actually made a good suggestion. You're gonna think she's crazy and believe me I did, too, at first."

Helen's eyebrows slid slowly upwards, but she didn't interrupt. Better to let Will come out with it on his own at the moment.

"She suggested Gavin, her former Abnormal hunting partner, be her replacement liaison for us." He held up a hand, clearly knowing that Helen would protest or at least question that decision. "I know what you're going to say. She assured me that he's changed, that he's grown a backbone and he could really help our cause now. So I... asked for a meeting. I trust her, but I needed confirmation. And I knew you'd need it, too."

Will was absolutely correct on that count. Helen certainly would have required as much research into this sudden change as possible. She'd never gone into a hiring process of any kind without running a very thorough background check. 

"I asked for his background and we got as much of that as we possibly could. Some with Henry's help."

Helen's lips barely flickered into a smile and she nodded her approval. 

"Abby arranged for us to talk in person and... turns out she was right. Gavin was... kind of the same, but he was more determined, more accepting, more knowledgeable. It was like he'd matured overnight. She said it happened after she got infected with that Abnormal DNA. He started taking everything seriously. When we spoke he was very calm and though he stumbled over his words a bit, he seemed really... genuine."

"Are you certain he wasn't replaced by a shapeshifter?" Helen asked, only half-kidding at that point. It was a theory they couldn't rule out automatically any longer. 

Will's lips curled upwards this time. "Positive. We ran a blood analysis while we were there, which he understood. Came back clean."

To say that Helen was surprised would be an understatement. Shocked might be closer. "So you're suggesting that we use Gavin because he can play up the idea that he's clueless and he'll confuse and bungle things intelligently?" It sounded terrible for him, but... "I'll trust your judgment, Will."

He seemed mildly surprised at first, turning it over in his mind. A few moments later, he nodded slowly. "Good. Then I guess we'll just have to see how that goes, won't we?"

"Flying by the seat of our pants, as they say? Sounds like a plan to me."

#

A few days later, after Abby and Erika had been properly introduced to the new Sanctuary, Henry had finally picked something up on his scanners. Electromagnetic pulses originating underground. Not quite as far under as they were, but far enough to be a concern. Or rather close enough to the surface to be a concern. What on earth were they coming from? Helen had a theory, one she wasn't too keen to share even as she leaned over Henry's shoulder to stare at his monitors. Will stood next to her and she could almost feel him watching her rather than the computer screens. He knew she suspected something. Or some _one_. Apparently he wasn't yet in the mood to press her, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Anything interesting to us?" Henry asked, prying her out of her thoughts.

"Quite," she agreed, straightening and giving his shoulder a slight squeeze. She was doing her best to be a little more approachable than she had been since she'd started her 113 years of "seclusion" and part of that meant being more tactile. It was difficult at times and so very easy at others. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What do you think it is?"

She gave a slight shrug. "Could be an electromagnetic Abnormal."

Will glanced at her; she could see his eyebrows rise out of the corner of her eye. "Or...?" There was that pressing she knew was coming.

"Or... it could be Nikola."

"Seriously?" Henry stared over his shoulder at her.

"Wouldn't he have used the autotype again?" Will questioned, obviously not buying her story.

"Not necessarily, not if he couldn't get a good range on his electromagnetism or something else was going on down there. He only managed the last time because he was tied up for nine days and could concentrate."

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose. "So we're going Tesla-diving. Great."

Helen patted his shoulder this time. "Think of it as an adventure," she encouraged, pushing away from the chair. 

"Every time, Magnus!" Will called through the lab after her as she left. "Every time!"

She would never tell anyone that she loved figuring Nikola out each time, loved the mystery he always provided her, even when it ended poorly for both of them; at the moment she was just glad Will couldn't see the smile that curled her lips and tinted her cheeks red.

#

The group that ended up heading for the other section of underground was large enough to hopefully either pose a problem to the Abnormal that was causing those pulses or stop whatever plans Tesla had set into motion. Helen still wanted to know where he was, exactly, and why, but she figured this was as good a start as any. They found a cave system in the American Rockies and followed it downward, as far as they could, marveling at the way it just kept going. Luckily, they had paths large enough to crawl or walk through with ease. Will's grumbling and the reminders he gave Helen of the Bolivian Andes were minimal. Helen counted herself quite fortunate.

She'd brought with her a team she trusted, including one she needed to train in Sanctuary affairs. This was the perfect first outing for Abby, who had been doing very well in daily training with Helen. This included learning about the various Abnormals in the world and under it, as well as physical training, and Abby was doing remarkably well. She showed a fierce determination that Helen saw on few people these days and she wasn't about to give it up. Will and Henry were of course coming along, but so were two who had been visiting recently and decided to join the cause: Declan and Kate. Helen's team was almost what it used to be and she was quite glad for the opportunity to have everyone working together again. Hopefully, Will wasn't about to break that for her. 

"So, we're looking for Tesla, right?" Abby was the one who eventually broke the mostly comfortable silence as the team climbed through the cave system. Helen didn't think Abby was going in utterly unprepared ― Helen herself had given the entire team a decent mission briefing before they left ― but more that she wanted clarification on something. She was prying for information.

"Tesla-diving," Henry affirmed. "It's the new Olympic sport. Except you don't get a shiny medal when you win it."

Helen was glad she was ahead of the others; she wasn't sure she could have held back her snort of laughter, choked as it was. 

"It's just a little weird," Abby continued thoughtfully. "I guess I haven't spent as much time around him to get used to it."

"He's the king of weird," Will pointed out. 

"One 'weird' thing bothers me: his accent."

 _Now_ Helen was really glad she'd brought them all along. They might be what kept her amused and less worried through this entire expedition. 

"His accent?" Will prodded dubiously.

"Well, it's just not... _British_. It's more like... a Canadian accent, you know? I mean, I know he's Serbian or something, but he lived in England long enough to have gotten that accent, right? He hasn't really lived here all that long? And I know, he's supposed to be dead, but come on. He went to Oxford like you, Magnus. You still have your accent. I was just wondering what happened to his."

Abby always did find the strangest things to take interest in, Helen reflected.

"He dropped his original accent a long time ago," she explained, remembering how she had met him one day to find that he'd picked up something far less than what it had once been. "He never really enjoyed England enough to want to pick that accent up. Can't blame him, honestly. The crown never did do him many favors."

"1908?"

Of course Will would pick up Helen's meaning immediately, even if no one else latched on quite as quickly. Helen responded with a tilt of her head in something resembling a nod of affirmation and a shrug. "Among other things."

"What happened in 1908?" Abby questioned. Ah, right. She'd never gotten that story. Probably for good reason.

Helen debated how best to answer. "The crown and the Prime Minister blackmailed us―"

"You mean they _bribed_ you," Will interrupted pointedly. He just wasn't going to let that go, especially after last year.

Helen closed her eyes briefly as they walked and sighed inwardly. "Whatever you want to call it. It's a long story." And not one she's really keen on going into right now. 

For better or worse, the team spent the next hour discussing Nikola. For once, Helen didn't intervene, preferring to keep herself out of the line of fire. At this point, even with Kate and Will talking about how often the vampire got himself into trouble or all of the times he inevitably hit on Magnus, it was better than wondering when the next shot from Will would come. 

Eventually, her scanner picked up traces of electromagnetic activity and she slowed the team with a hand signal, shining her light everywhere she could. Something wasn't right in here. 

A second later, a bug skittered out of a crevasse in the rock face about three meters in front of her. She frowned, watching as a second and a third moved in towards the first. They looked like gray ants, about the size of a small dog. Far too large for any Surface variety she had ever known. But they could be an underground Hollow Earth version. As she watched, a blue-colored bubble started forming around the mouth and head of the first ant, its small form shaking with exertion. Something felt oddly familiar about that precise bubble, something she couldn't quite put her finger on right away. But it reminded her of Nikola.

"Magnus?"

"Uh, Doc... What the hell is it doing?"

Helen's eyes widened as realization hit her with the force of a cave-in. She knew what she was looking at. "Dear God. It's an EM bubble. They're the ones that have been sending those pulses."

Henry's head snapped around and he stared at her with a look that fully mirrored her thoughts. "It's electromagnetic? How the hell is it electromagnetic?"

Helen had no idea, but before she could comment further on the entire thing, Will stepped forward, his stunner pointed at the not-so-tiny ant. "Is anyone else having Source Blood centipede flashbacks?"

Given that only three of them in that group had been there for those centipedes, she knew he was only speaking to part of the team. A quick glance at Henry told her he was thinking the same thing. But flashbacks or no, these ants could not be allowed to burrow any closer to the surface. The damage they would do to the world's infrastructure and the species on the surface was unimaginable.

"We have to convince them to go deeper! Now!"

She could almost see Will's _are you kidding me_ look, though she certainly heard his sigh. There was no time and nothing for it. Once again, the Sanctuary was the only line of defense left and they all knew their duty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And in typical Nikola fashion, he had to change the subject entirely, leaning in with his stupid grin that she knew all too well. Much as that irritated her and drove her expression into something of a line, she knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract her and tell her that something was wrong in equal measure.

"Uhh, Doc? Stunners aren't exactly working here!"

"Neither are guns!" Declan agreed, falling back beside Helen. "Magnus, what should we do?"

"My vote for torching the place is probably not going to win me any favors, is it?" Kate asked dryly, looking less and less pleased about being here. Helen's thoughts mirrored that line. Much as she wanted to find Nikola and help these creatures, being at the epicenter of a large-scale electromagnetic pulse was not on her list of things to deal with today. 

"I'll toss mine in with you," Will muttered, backing up as the ants twitched in his direction.

"They're intelligent," Declan pressed, following one with the muzzle of his gun. "They're analyzing our movements."

"Yeah, but what do they want?" Abby looked about as disturbed as the rest of them. Helen couldn't yet answer that and she did not at all appreciate that fact. Answering things, figuring out solutions to problems, was her M.O. Not being able to and being at a loss as to how did not sit well with her. Didn't mean she wouldn't be working to change the situation, but in the interim things would be difficult. 

"No idea," Helen admitted, glancing sideways through the caves. She'd spotted something on the way in, a side tunnel that might lead them away from this. "There's another tunnel three meters to the left. If we just―"

"Your assistance is unnecessary. Appreciated, but unnecessary." 

That particular voice was entirely too familiar in a way that made her heart both flutter and sink. She peered further down the cave system as someone else walked out in a full suit, of all things. Really, she would think he would know better than to wear something wildly inappropriate like that. Not that she didn't love seeing him in a suit, but it was hardly proper attire for this. It was almost as though he'd come on a whim and gotten tangled in something more than expected. Her head tilted at his grin and her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Honestly, Nikola," she snapped, feeling her temper rise as it usually did when she felt she had to pull Nikola out of some problem or another. "What are you doing down here?"

"Trying to find the queen," he muttered, turning to look around him. He sent the three nearby flying with a flick of his wrist, dispelling the electromagnetic pulse with one of his own. 

"The ant queen?" Helen's voice had turned incredulous and she was beginning to see the merit in just dragging him back to the surface. This was utterly ridiculous.

"There are more of them?!" Henry's panicked voice rose above Helen's thoughts.

"A lot more," Nikola affirmed, hands migrating to his hips. Helen glanced at his body language, easily reading the irritation and _worry_ in everything that he did. He was rattled. Why?

"What the hell is going on?" Helen demanded, knowing there was more going on than what they had seen already. She knew Nikola too well. "Did you draw these out like the centipedes?"

He wheeled around to face her, turning his irritation to work against her. They might have had some semblance of a romantic relationship going now, but some things never did change; they would always be able to bait each other. When one was angry at the other, the reverse followed in very short order. 

"In case you've forgotten, those weren't my fault!" he pointed out in a voice that had a different kind of heat to it than what she usually got from him in the bedrooms. 

As per their dance, she easily stepped into the next response. "Oh, so you're saying these are?"

"I'm saying maybe you should listen to me before you jump to conclusions!"

"Because you've given me _so_ much reason to do so in the past."

"I'd think you would trust me by now, Helen."

Something in his eyes, the way he turned that piercing stare on her rather than the glare that could melt the ice of her soul, gave her pause. He never did say something like that without reason, even if it was just to bait her. Was he asking her to trust him and could she afford to?

Could she afford _not_ to?

She tilted her head again and peered at him, eyes narrowed. "Nikolaaaa," she prodded, pulling out the _a_ in his name in the way that clearly said she didn't believe this was everything. He was hiding something. She wanted to know what and why.

"You have an amazing grasp of the Queen's English, you know."

And in typical Nikola fashion, he had to change the subject entirely, leaning in with his stupid grin that she knew all too well. Much as that irritated her and drove her expression into something of a line, she knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract her and tell her that something was wrong in equal measure. It didn't sit well with her. Again it felt too much like their first meeting in the SCIU research lab, where he had been entirely too rattled to be going on with. What on Earth had him so worked up _this_ time?

"Does this... happen a lot?" Abby asked from the background, clearly not exactly enjoying her first experience with Helen and Nikola together. 

Will, Henry, and Kate's voices all rose up simultaneously. "Every time."

"The ants, Nikola," Helen prompted with all of the dwindling patience she had available. "What do you know about the ants?"

"Yeah, how ooglygoogly are they this time?" Henry piped up, picking up on Helen's irritation. She knew the two had bonded in the last year, but even that wouldn't keep them from butting heads every so often. 

Nikola scoffed, waving a hand at the tunnel he'd come from as though that might solve the entire problem. "Not so much ooglygooglyness this time. More like skitteryjitteryness."

Helen's features remained smoothed into a line, though she couldn't miss the clear opportunity to make a jab at his expense in turn. "Your grasp of the Queen's English is _breathtaking_." 

Nikola's grin slid off into an expression of distaste, a sneer that wrinkled his nose like he should have expected her to say that but still didn't like it. "Ha ha. By the way, you look sexy in leather."

The line across Helen's face tightened and a muscle in her jaw popped. She should have known he would comment on her attire and appearance at some point. It really was only a matter of time. The fact that he did it so blatantly in front of her staff was less of a concern and more of an irritant. He'd flirted with her a thousand times while she was annoyed and a hundred more in front of her staff. What he wasn't doing was helping her case with them on why she'd started seeing him in the first place.

"I say we leave him here," Kate spoke up in her usual without a care tone. "At least then we'll have a nice, shining beacon on our way back out of this dank, dark cave."

Nikola didn't even deign to turn around to face her, keeping his attention focused on Helen. "For the last time, we don't sparkle."

"Maybe not, but your clothes could use a change. You could have at least worn something more..." Kate paused, searching for the right word. "...practical while you're spelunking down here."

"And miss the opportunity to pose for my Nobel when we get out of here? No thanks."

He still wasn't telling them everything and so Helen stepped towards him, finally fed up with the banter. "Answers, Nikola," she demanded calmly, her voice too tight for miscommunication. "Why are you here? What are you planning? And what do you know about these ants?"

Nikola shot her a look she could only describe as an effort to keep her from yelling at him too early. That only made her desire to yell stronger. Instead, she clamped down on that urge and fixed him with her best glare, the one that could wither even him on her best days.

"I was just trying to help you," he began. 

"Help us?" Declan nearly spat out. For all that he could usually resist Tesla's needling, Helen knew they weren't exactly friends. Declan was difficult to rattle, usually, something that stole Nikola's fun. The fact that he was even mildly annoyed right now said a great deal. "I'd say we just saved your―"

" _Gentlemen_ ," Helen interrupted, trying to reel the conversation back in before it turned into a spitting contest.

"I heard a bird talking about some electromagnetic pulse or other that was scuttling SCIU's systems."

"How noble," Helen sneered.

"You can get off your high horse now," Nikola told her pointedly, not that this helped her feel more comfortable with the direction this entire thing was going. "I suspected it was an Abnormal, given how far below the Surface the pulses were coming from and it wasn't on any of the known Hollow Earth paths. I was trying to save it. Whatever it was."

"And you didn't think to call the people who have spent lifetimes doing exactly that?" Helen stared at him incredulously.

Nikola's face clouded and he huffed, flicking his hand around again. "It should have been easy."

"But you didn't factor in the Abnormals themselves."

He waved his hand viciously at the air this time. "It was supposed to be one! But every EM pulse I used to convince it to leave just attracted it and soon the 'it' became plural."

"You should have told me!" she snapped.

"It wasn't necessary! I had a plan!"

"A plan that involved using yourself as bait!"

"It was working!"

"And could easily have led SCIU straight here! To you!"

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before."

Helen huffed out a silent breath of frustration. Why couldn't he see...? "You knew I would come."

"You always do in the end."

"Which would have jeopardized my work, my new Sanctuary, everything I've built for the last hundred years!" Her anger finally exploded outward and though she knew she was being unfair, she added on, in a low, tight voice full of venom, "You jeopardized _me_ , Nikola, because you never think about consequences. All that matters are your ideas."

Silence fell in the wake of that argument. None of her staff dared to say anything, not even Will, who had enough ammo to go at either of them. Helen was practically out of breath with anger, eyes flashing as she ignored the look on Nikola's face. He looked far, far too upset to be going on with and she knew the kicked puppy look he was giving her was due to the simple fact that she was mad at him. Didn't matter why or if she was right or not, just that she was angry or hurt and it was his fault.

"Fine." The one to break it absolutely had to be Nikola as he turned his sadness into determination. "Fine. Heinrich and I can rig up a couple of things. Tell me you brought more than a trashcan."

Helen barely glanced at Henry in enough time to see him blink with confusion. "I don't exactly have a generator on hand, dude."

"No, but between the two of us, we have enough equipment to rig up two devices, one for use on the surface to keep SCIU busy and one to supplement my electromagnetism to lure the damn things somewhere else."

Henry glanced at Helen, a silent question of if he should. Helen barely nodded in response, her permission clear. It was hardly a solid plan, but it was also all they had.

"All right, let's get to work on some electromagnetism."

Helen's attention slid back to Nikola's grin and she opened her mouth to head him off before he could even say anything. " _No_ , Nikola." They didn't need a second instance of him hitting on her.

His grin widened fully and though he went to work with Henry right afterwards, they both knew he'd been seconds away from making a joke about his magnetism drawing her in. She wasn't in the mood to hear it. Instead, she shook her head and moved over to check on Will, Abby, Declan, and Kate.

"We'll need someone to take one of their devices up to the surface to help scuttle SCIU's agenda," she began, settling in against a rock and pulling out her water canteen for a drink. "The last thing we need is for any of their agents to get mixed up in this."

"Yeah or it'll be a nice taste of the Bolivian Andes," Will agreed with no small amount of sarcasm. Knowing exactly what he was on about, Helen ignored him, which she knew would just sour him further. She was in no mood to rehash that event, either.

"I'll take it up." Abby volunteering was something of a surprise. Perhaps it shouldn't have been, but Helen was only beginning to understand the other woman's determination and drive. 

"It won't be easy," Helen cautioned, looking her over. Abby's stoic determination didn't waver.

"I know, but I can contact Gavin and see if he can help confuse and distract SCIU on the surface," she pointed out. "I'll be of more use to you up there."

"Abby..." Will didn't want to let her go alone. Not that Helen could blame him.

"I'll go with her, keep an eye on things topside," Declan offered. "My presence up there is of less concern than any of the rest of you."

TheSanctuary Heads, for the most part, had decided to stay in their respective cities after their Sanctuaries were closed and Old City fell. That way they could still be of use and keep an eye on Abnormal and government movements for Magnus. Declan's position on the surface would be less suspicious than anyone else.

Helen nodded once, firmly. That was all that needed to be said to show her agreement and general approval. She turned her attention away from her decision there and refocused entirely on watching Henry and Nikola work. It took them a few hours to manage something, but eventually they did, though Henry made several references to feeling like MacGuyver while they worked. Eventually, they pulled together one small, round device roughly the size of the Praxian spiderbot and one medium-sized silver pole. Helen's eyebrows arched at the sight. Well, as long as they worked.

Nikola strode forward with them in hand, proudly showing them off like they were his children. They may as well have been. "I call them... the Pulseators!"

Helen wasn't looking at her staff, so she would never know who it was who facepalmed, but she certainly did hear the telltale slap of a hand against a forehead. She almost wished it had been her.

"We have _got_ to get you better naming conventions," Kate muttered from the background. "Genius my ass."

"Watch your language," Nikola huffed dramatically.

Helen snorted, her lips thinning to hide a smile for once. Instead of acknowledging that Kate was right, she plucked the smaller of the two devices out of Nikola's hands and passed it to Declan. "Be careful." She didn't want to hear any rumors of something happening to them on their way back or SCIU arresting them. They were too important to her and her people, let alone her work. If anything happened to Abby, it would be one more mark against Helen to Will. Not that Helen usually cared about what other people thought, but in the new age brought about by her new Sanctuary, she was turning over a new leaf and doing her best to care.

Or at least act like she had a better handle on the personal vs professional balancing act that was her life. She was trying. That was the important thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus' smile was almost too friendly, like she was trying too hard. He sighed, glancing forward at the other three of their team. They were far enough forward that maybe...
> 
> Maybe it was time to have this conversation, whether or not he and Magnus wanted it.

"Be careful," Magnus murmured in the tone of voice Declan had come to associate with her belief that she was sending someone to their death. He knew she would worry; that was part of why he respected her so much. She always cared about her staff as though they were family, whether or not she believed it of herself. All he could do was nod and do everything in his power to ensure that he and Abby Corrigan would make it to the surface in one piece. Patting Abby's shoulder with the hand not occupied by Tesla's device, he gave Magnus a firm nod and led the way back through the tunnels.

Magnus would have to trust them and they would have to work hard not to let her down. Business as usual.

"What do you think Tesla is up to?" Abby asked quietly after a few minutes of walking. Declan was keeping an eye out for any more ants, but so far nothing. He liked it that way. 

"Nothing good," he responded, thinking back to Magnus' first report on SCIU. It hadn't been good. He really couldn't remember many _good_ reports involving Tesla. The man was an enigma and despite his history with Magnus, Declan didn't trust him. Probably never would. He trusted and respected Magnus enough not to challenge whatever was going on between her and Tesla ― he had eyes and he'd heard whispers from the former Old City staff ― but not even respect for her would make him give the same to Tesla. 

"There's something weird about this whole thing," Abby continued, providing talk to fill the silence. "I mean, he knows Magnus well enough to know this would happen. Why would he just come here and not expect her to follow him?"

Declan didn't answer; he'd long ago given up on figuring out Tesla's motives and instead focused on picking up the pieces left over from the man's schemes. Like now. He paused, straining. He'd thought he'd heard something. 

"And that doesn't explain how he's acting. No, I think there's something more. I think he _wanted_ Magnus to come because she's the only one who could― Ah!"

Declan apologized softly into her ear as he forcibly moved her into a small alcove to their right, tucking them behind a bunch of rocks just in time. SCIU agents passed by a moment or two later; the sounds he'd been hearing were coming from them.

Abby traded worried looks with him. Not good. 

"What do we do?" she whispered.

"Contact Magnus's team and then create a diversion," Declan muttered, his attention back on the passing SCIU agents. "They need to be warned."

Declan inched his way down as far as he could and then opened up a holographic communication with Magnus. "Keep your voices down," he warned as soon as the connection was made. "SCIU agents are passing by on their way to you. We're going to create a diversion, get them away, but you know how SCIU is."

Magnus sighed heavily. "Understood. Thank you, Declan. Be careful."

"Will do."

Exiting the communication, he turned back to Abby, the corners of his lips curling upwards. "Ready to run like hell?"

To her credit, Abby's stoic determination didn't waver. "Ready."

Declan primed the device as they crept up to the edge of the alcove. Waiting another minute, he let off as large an electromagnetic pulse as he dared and then the two of them bolted for the surface as fast as they could go, throwing themselves recklessly down the tunnels and hoping the bloody agents would follow.

***

As Helen watched Declan and Abby's retreating backs, she couldn't help feeling that she was was sending them to prison, a sentiment she was certain Will agreed with. Regardless, the two were something of a last hope for the rest of them and Helen knew she had to have faith in her staff. Turning back to eye the other device, which was now in Henry's hands, she couldn't help wondering about it.

"What's the power source on these devices, Nikola?" she questioned. "I know we didn't bring generators powerful enough for this sort of thing."

"Rocky," Henry spoke up, surprising Helen. She glanced at Will, but this seemed to mean as little to him as it did to her.

"Rocky?" she prompted, eyebrows arching.

"Yeah. You know. The rocks you brought back from Bolivia."

Nikola's grin was infuriating, but at least Henry wasn't trying her patience.

"Ah. I'm glad you've put those to good use."

"Worked like a charm," Nikola interjected, earning him a pointed glare from Helen.

She ignored him. "And we're certain it will work?"

"Only one way to find out," Henry admitted. "But it should be fine. I mean... the FOSSS was fine."

Helen's lips twisted, recalling the invention that had saved her life when she'd blown up the Old City Sanctuary. She trusted Henry's work, normally would trust Nikola's as well, even if he _was_ terrible at naming things. _Bring on the Hail Mary,_ she thought. They certainly were going to need it.

***

Abby's text was one of the most confusing things Gavin had ever read. He figured out that she was doing something for the Sanctuary ― she said the key phrase "from below" ― but it took him a full five minutes to figure out that what they were doing was related to whatever SCIU was doing _underground_. Great. She'd gotten mixed up in something. Not that he minded being helpful, but he wasn't sure the term "ace in the hole" was really appropriate in relation to him. Ever.

"Agent!" someone yelled, making him jump. 

"We need intel on the underground. Scans, research, everything in that database. Hop to it!"

"Yes, sir," he mumbled, setting his phone aside and pulling up the right data files. Glancing around surreptitiously, he waited for a moment when no one was watching to activate something Abby had referenced as Henry's "kill switch." 

The entire computer system went down. Including their underground trackers. Plus whatever the team below was using for guidance.

And everyone in the room froze.

Gavin winced, barely glancing up over his computer monitor like he hadn't actually planned that. "Oops...?"

***

Abby sent Magnus another communication, letting her know that everything was going according to plan. It seemed Gavin was doing a brilliant job of messing up SCIU's sensors just by virtue of being Gavin. Good man. Will made a mental note to thank the guy later.

"Well, that was a helpful risk," he muttered, trying for what felt like the thousandth time to get Magnus to talk. Things were a little better between them, but the tension was still there. Will wondered if it would ever leave.

By this point, Henry and Tesla had taken the front with their EM abilities, the ants they'd collected so far were in the middle, Kate was slightly behind them like a shepherd, and Will and Magnus were bringing up the rear. It was the weirdest little group Will had ever seen, but somehow it seemed to be working.

"Yeah, no kidding," Magnus agreed, sneaking in a half glance in his direction. "What was that phrase you like so much?"

Will huffed once and though his mouth curved upwards just the slightest amount, he couldn't tell if it was amusement or annoyance. "Bring on the Hail Mary."

"That's the one."

Magnus' smile was almost too friendly, like she was trying too hard. He sighed, glancing forward at the other three of their team. They were far enough forward that maybe...

Maybe it was time to have this conversation, whether or not he and Magnus wanted it.

He let out a world-weary groan, rubbing a hand across his face.

"I know something's on your mind, Will," Magnus pointed out in the most matter-of-fact tone she had, something he knew was her way of saying that he should just let her have it. That usually didn't end too well, but at this point Will thought she might be right.

"Magnus... I don't even know where to begin."

"Last year's a good place."

"No." He shook his head, knowing it started way before that. "Last year was the culmination of everything, but it wasn't the beginning."

"I thought you were still angry with me." She looked surprised. He'd expected that.

"I was for a while," he admitted with a shrug. "And then I realized that I'm more angry with myself."

Her look of surprise morphed into a frown of confusion. "Why?"

"Because I finally realized that you never actually made a deal with me." Knowing she was about to protest, he held up a hand to stop whatever excuses or explanations were about to come out of her mouth. "I just assumed from your manner and words that you had, but you never actually promised me that you wouldn't keep secrets. So as much as I hate it, I walked into that one."

"Will..." Her look turned slightly apologetic and he hated that, too. He hated being on the outside and that's all he had been for the last year and a half. He was sick of it.

"I'm still angry with you for keeping those secrets, but assuming you'd made some deal with me was all on me." He spread his arms like he was opening himself up for vulnerability and pursed his lips. "I can deal with everything up until that point when you rejoined the timeline. You told me about that, at least. I just wish you'd trusted me with the rest."

He would have done anything to help her, even join SCIU willingly. If he'd known about it ahead of time, maybe things wouldn't have fallen apart so damn hard. A treacherous part of him whispered that she'd been banking on a lack of knowledge of her actions in the past so that no one could blow her cover. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done that. 

Didn't want them to blow the punchline, as the Big Guy had once said. Not for the first time did Will wonder how _he_ would have taken all of this. 

"I did trust you," Magnus protested, breaking through Will's thoughts. "I knew you would figure it out and I never doubted that you would have my back. Not even in that alley."

"But you didn't trust me with your big secret."

"I didn't trust _anyone_ with it. Not even Nikola and he's already let me know how remiss I was in that."

Will's lips curled up derisively. "I can imagine that was a fun conversation." As in not at all.

Magnus ducked her head for a few seconds, as though she were picking her steps carefully. Will knew she just didn't want him to see her reaction, which made him suspect he knew it anyway. He could just picture a heated talk between Magnus and Tesla about this very thing.

"There were more than a few heated words exchanged," she admitted. "He also commented that I should have told him about the new Sanctuary."

Will was silent for a few minutes as they walked, mulling it all over. "I think I understand why you didn't. Doesn't mean I _like_ it, but... I get it."

Magnus shot him a rueful smile. "Honestly, I was afraid. I had no idea what I would come back to and then the UN went pear-shaped, Addison happened, and I had no idea how to say it to anyone while keeping it a secret from everyone else. I could have told you, but it would've been better for you to see it and I couldn't risk bringing anyone down there. Not with SCIU and Addison so close to our doorstep."

"Could you maybe hint to me or something next time?"

"And expect you not to badger me about it later?"

He huffed out another breath. This one was leaning more towards a laugh. "What am I saying? Of course not."

Magnus took that moment to stop in their forward motion, turning to face Will. It was a good spot to pause, as Tesla and Henry seemed to have found a suitable lair for their ant buddies. Giving them a once-over as Henry got to work with the old Magnus Slinger, he finally turned to gaze straight at Magnus. It felt a little like a moment of truth between them.

"I will say that it will be much more difficult for me to keep a secret quite like the new Sanctuary," she pointed out gently. "If at all possible, I will give you a hint or a heads up about what I'm planning."

That did nothing for his confidence in her. "Yeah. Sure. I've heard that before."

A frown creased her brow and Will knew they were headed straight for an argument. Again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm tired of doing this dance with you, Magnus. Everything is always on your terms. Just _once_ I'd like you to sit back and see it from our eyes." No, that wasn't quite right. No one else really cared about this issue the way he did. "See it from _my_ eyes. Magnus... you're the closest thing I have to a mother figure, a mentor, someone I can trust and respect and look up to. Shutting me out like that? Hurt. I can't even begin to tell you how much it hurt. I believed in you so strongly that when you cut me off, it felt like I was free-falling. And I've only just recently hit the ground. I'm still waiting for a few of those bones to heal, by the way."

"Lucky you didn't die."

"I'd be up to three. Even with you. Your faked death doesn't count."

She took a step forward, not entirely willing to let grim humor distract them. "Will, I can't help being who I am. I'm a very private person and I let things out on a need-to-know basis. Yes, I micro-manage. I always have. I can't help that, either. But I promise you, I will always let you in. It might just take some time first."

"Just do me a favor?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"At least try. Try to let us in. Try to accept that you don't have to go through life alone. We're here for you, all of us. We're a team, a _family_. You brought us into this life to help us, to help you. Don't just... shut us out all the time."

On the plus side, she seemed to be taking those words to heart. Her response came in the form of a tight-lipped smile and a firm nod. "I'll do what I can."

That was all he could really ask for. "Oh, and one more thing."

Her chin lifted a fraction of an inch, a clear indicator that she was expecting a fight here. His lips curved upwards into something of a grin. "Can we just pretend that last year never happened? It sucked. It sucked _balls_." 

Magnus snorted out a laugh. Will would take that victory.

"Yeah, it did," she agreed. "Let's not do it again, shall we?"

"Deal."

They turned back to Henry and Tesla just in time to see them lure all of the ants into the new lair and seal it up with nets from the Magnus Slinger. The whole nest seemed to be blocked except from one route way down that looked like it led further underground. Otherwise, they were planning a cave-in and it would block up everything else. Tesla wheeled around, his coat swishing behind him in what was unmistakably a victory dance. Magnus probably thought it was endearing; Will thought it was annoying. 

"Good work," Magnus told them all, surveying it. "We'll have to get well clear of the―"

She never got a chance to finish that thought. The walls of their tunnel began to shake, causing pieces of rock to start shifting and falling on them. 

"I didn't hit the trigger!" Henry yelled, clearly close to panic.

Will was thinking that _something_ was out there. Something big.

A second later, something big _did_ burst through the wall behind them, something ant-like but about the size of a miniature horse. Will's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he stood there gaping at it.

"Bloody hell!" 

"I told you there was a queen!"

It was a queen all right and suddenly their world had gotten much worse.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She couldn't protect them, couldn't even see where they were as rocks and chunks of the tunnel rained down on them. At least Henry and Nikola would be all right. She just had to worry about Kate and Will.
> 
> And, to some extent, herself.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that thing is angry."

Helen barely registered who had spoken; her entire focus was on the fact that the ant queen was staring straight at Will. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt on her watch again. For whatever reason, the queen had chosen him as the threat, likely because he was the first person she had seen coming out of her self-made tunnel. The entire scenario reminded Helen forcefully of the time she and Will had been stranded on that oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The sea scorpion and the vampire squid had seemed upset with him as well.

"Will!" she cried, worry edging her tone. They had only just come to a grudging truce; she wasn't in the mood to have anything ruin that. 

"What is it about me that makes these things hate me so much?!" Will yelled angrily, echoing his words about the other two Abnormals. 

"You're clearly magnetic," Kate offered dryly. 

"No, that would be me," Nikola pointed out. "The rest of you are simply... easily repelled."

Helen rolled her eyes. Someone groaned. Perhaps even _several_ someones. 

Whatever their banter might be doing to each other, it had no effect on the ant queen. The Abnormal regarded Will for a moment longer before she charged. Helen knew she was closest to Will, but even she didn't have the space to pull him out of the way. Despite giving it a valiant effort anyway, she was halfway when an inhuman blur sped past her. Nikola beat her, grabbing Will and shoving him out of the queen's path. Startled at her target's disappearance, she stopped short, turning to face Nikola.

And then she started building an EM bubble around her face. Helen's eyes grew wide with obvious fear.

"Nikola!"

"Heinrich!" 

Nikola motioned to Henry, who immediately primed the device in his hand. Undoubtedly, Nikola was focusing on his electromagnetism. With luck, the two of them together would have enough power to distract the queen and keep her from destroying the cave system. The last thing they needed was―

―Exactly what happened.

Helen could only watch in horror as Henry and Nikola released their EM bursts. The ant queen flicked her head, letting hers go at the same time. Theirs hit her, though she bounced them away and they careened into the wall behind her, shattering parts of the rocky siding. The queen's EM burst slammed into the net made by the Magnus Slinger, completely destroying it. With the net down, Helen could see into the nest they'd brought the other ants into.

It was empty, not an ant in sight. 

"What―"

A second pulse erupted from the queen ant, headed straight for the ceiling of that "nest." 

"Look out!" Helen yelled, diving out of the way and hoping the rest of her team would get somewhere safe. She couldn't protect them, couldn't even see where they were as rocks and chunks of the tunnel rained down on them. At least Henry and Nikola would be all right. She just had to worry about Kate and Will.

And, to some extent, herself.

***

Will groaned as he pried his eyes open. Everything in his body ached, like he'd fallen down a cliff. Squinting up at the far away ceiling and the pathway at the top of the sheer rock face, he thought that was _exactly_ what had happened.

"At least I didn't get shot this time," he muttered, glancing around to see who had taken the tumble with him.

"And Hank's leg is in one piece, which is more than I can say for the _last_ time we fell down a hole in Hollow Earth," Kate commented, pulling some of the rubble away from Henry, who groaned. Will moved closer to help.

"Yeah, jury's still out on that," Henry commented, managing to sit up.

"You're not bleeding," Kate pointed out firmly. "No broken bones. I'd say you're in one piece."

A small smile crossed Henry's face. Will felt like he was interrupting some kind of trip down memory lane.

"And if Doctor Freelander says it's true, it must be."

"Eeexactly."

Peering up at the pathway above, Henry sighed. "So what are we gonna do now?"

Will followed his gaze and then glanced the other way to the only ground-level exit. "Well, assuming none of us is Spiderman in disguise―"

Henry offered a small laugh at the reference, which Will had been hoping for.

"―I guess we brave the new tunnel."

Kate eyed the opening like she expected something to leap out of there. Will felt the same way.

"Yeah, I'm not liking the idea of following crazy ants."

"Me, either," Will admitted with a weary sigh. "But it's all we've got unless we want to stay here and be sitting ducks."

"Well, at least we've still got Maggie," Henry piped up.

Will glanced back at him, wondering if he should even ask. "Maggie?"

Henry grinned and held up Tesla's Pulseator. "Yeah. Maggie the Magnet."

Kate made no effort to hide her groan of disgust as she stood to get away.

Will brandished a finger at Henry. " _You_ have been spending too much time with Tesla."

Henry just grinned as Will gave him a hand up. Will shook his head, following Kate's lead to the tunnel. At least the could be almost sure that all they would have to deal with were the little ants. With any luck, "Maggie" could take care of them.

He just hoped Magnus and the real Magnet weren't stuck with the queen.

***

The first thing Tesla noticed as the dust and rocks settled was the smell of blood. He was fairly sure it wasn't _his_ blood. The next and single-most important thing he noticed was Helen's groan of pain. That sound always had the ability to override nearly anything else, stealing his focus entirely. Pushing himself to his feet, he quickly sought her out, sensing her blood and having her shallow breathing. Neither of those made him feel very happy about what had happened. If he had failed to save her and somehow made things worse, if his attempt had―

No; he couldn't even imagine it. He would never forgive himself if it were true, especially now that she had finally let him into her life.

"Helen?" he called to her, his voice coming out quieter and much more worried than he would sound if anyone else were around. 

"Nikola?" she managed before gasping sharply. That couldn't be good.

He redoubled his efforts, finding her slowly pushing herself to a sitting position not far away. He didn't like the way she winced as she moved.

"You're hurt," he murmured, reaching to support her even as his tone morphed further. Plans of what to do after all of this was over flitted through his head. The bath he would insist she take, the massage he would give her. Pampering. That was what he would do with her.

That and insist on sharing a bottle of wine.

"A broken rib... a bruised ankle, no concussion," she diagnosed, giving herself a quick going over. She glanced up at him and offered a tiny smile. "I'll live."

He didn't even bother telling her that she'd better live, forgiving the sappy moment that anyone else might leap at in favor of their usual dance. "Well, good," he huffed, sounding put out at the entire thing. "Just don't ask me to patch you up. I never wanted to be a doctor."

His reward was that tiny, secretive smile of hers, the one she so rarely gave anyone but him. "Indeed. Wouldn't want you to over extend yourself working on something so out of your depth."

In response, he affected his best utterly offended look, even though they both knew he really wasn't that upset by her words. This was just how their interactions typically went, the next step dictated by their ages-old dance.

"I come to your rescue and this is what I get? Honestly, Helen, I'm hurt by your lack of confidence."

She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head at hime, and her wince was much smaller that time. He decided to take that as a victory, even though it likely meant she was hiding the amount of pain she was in.

Lifting an arm in his direction, she beckoned him closer. "Come on. Help me up."

His lips curled upwards into his trademark smirk, the one nearly everyone else hated and knew meant trouble. Or him shamelessly hitting on Helen. "I'll always be here to sweep you off your feet," he flirted, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and one of his around her waist so he could get her to stand.

She rolled her eyes and fixed him with a mock glare, something he had been expecting. "You're incorrigible."

He just grinned.

As she settled on her feet, breathing as deeply as she could without making her discomfort worse, he released his hold on her. He knew better than to try to hold her if she hadn't asked for it. So far, she had only wanted his help in standing. For anything else, he would have to wait for her to repeat her request or for her balance and strength to give out, neither of which he particularly wanted. Helen walking under her own power was much preferable to any alternative. 

Rather than face any of those thoughts, he turned to look around them. Well, the tunnel they had come from was completely blocked and he couldn't even tell where the Magnus Slinger had once sealed the ant nest. That entire entrance was a pile of rocks and if he hadn't known where it was, there would be no way to tell. In fact, the only real way forward was through the tunnel the queen had come from.

The queen that was now gone.

Nikola swore under his breath in his native tongue.

"The queen's gone," he announced, all of his infuriating smugness slipping off in five seconds flat. The large ant's departure would complicate things.

"No telling when she'll be back," Helen commented, echoing his thoughts. "Best be prepared."

"I'm always prepared."

She shot him a look but otherwise didn't comment. Not like she really needed to. There were plenty of times when he _hadn't_ been prepared and they both knew each one. They also both knew that there was little need to bring any of those up.

"Well, shall we follow her lead?" Nikola asked, as though they really had any choice.

"You've a better idea?" Helen inquired, glancing at him.

He couldn't help the response that slipped out: "Several, none of which sound pleasant with all these rocks. One of us would have a sore back." The roll of her eyes in response was as good a reward as he could have hoped for. "Or I could just continue referencing how my magnetism seems to attract queens." His smug smirk returned, which he knew would irritate her. "Afina, the ant queen... you."

"I'm hardly qualified to be a queen," she pointed out.

"Maybe not in title," he agreed, his words entirely playful, while at the same time entirely true, "but you'll always be the queen of my heart." 

"Oh dear lord," she muttered with no small amount of exasperation as she shook her head, turned, and walked away. Smirking at her back, Nikola followed her. As he always did.

"What _did_ you want with these ants, Nikola?" Helen asked after a while of walking, keeping her lights trained everywhere so she could see. Presumably her fidgety nature now was due to a desire not to be caught off guard.

"They're electromagnetic _ants_ , Helen," he huffed. "What could I possibly want with them?"

She would figure it out, he knew. She had gotten the message in the bottles of wine he'd taken before he left and she knew him. Really, it was only a matter of time and when she did, he was prepared.

As she finally stopped and turned towards him, he knew he would not be disappointed.

"SCIU. You wanted them to help scuttle SCIU."

"Yeah, well, look how well that turned out."

Really, it was fairly harmless as far as his usual schemes were concerned, a fact that would make her more suspicious. This time there was nothing else. He had given her the truth.

The trouble was that he couldn't tell if that shake of her head and tightening of her jaw as she started moving again were good or bad reactions. His gut told him neutral, but that it could go to either extreme in a matter of seconds. One could never say that Helen was a dull woman.

"This tunnel looks different from all the others," Helen commented, letting her fingers trace down the side of a wall briefly.

Nikola frowned as he stepped up beside her. Small pinpricks in the wall were... sparkling? "Gems...?" he questioned to the air. And suddenly it all made sense. Helen apparently came to the same conclusion a half second after he did.

"That's what they're after."

"The bastards."

"They really wanted the ants."

"So they could breed miners without liability suits."

"But the ants proved too powerful. They're scuttling SCIU's systems rather than helping."

"No surprise there."

Helen's eyebrows flicked upwards in agreement.

"It's ingenious."

And then arched dubiously.

"Don't get me wrong. It's twisted. On par with our favorite cockroach." If they never saw Adam Worth again, it would be too soon. "But it _is_ ingenious."

"Bloody hell," Helen murmured, moving farther down the tunnel.

"Safe to say we're not having a reunion here," he pointed out, thinking that SCIU could never be allowed to actually find the damn ants.

"Agreed. All the more reason to lead our friends further underground when we find them."

"Or find a way to keep them here."

He saw her glance at him out of the corner of his eye. "Seems to me, we're the ones being led, Helen."

A slight tilt of her head as she looked forward again was her acknowledgement that he had a point. She didn't follow that up with a further question, even though they were both thinking it: _Where_ were they being led?

"The only question left is what these ants actually _do_ ," Helen spoke up instead. "what do they want with the precious metals and gemstones? This can't be their food source."

"Practice?" Nikola suggested, thinking back to every time he had run into the little antlings. They were either near a tunnel like this or headed that way. "Strip the metal away and you're left with more easily mined precious gems."

"SCIU's reasoning, no doubt, but what's theirs? What other Abnormal could they be aiding down here?" She paused, turning towards him with surprise written across her face. "Kanaan."

Nikola remembered hearing about Kanaan, but since he had been left behind when Helen had taken Huey, Dewey, and Screwy to Hollow Earth, he had never actually _met_ the Abnormal. Come to think of it, he'd never met any of the three Hyper-Abnormals. Kanaan, Kali, or Quetzalcoatl. Really, it was enough to make one feel left out.

"So, what? They each help Kanaan tunnel?"

"Or redirect the lava flows further down."

"Interspecies Abnormal cooperation."

"It happens on the Surface all the time. We're still learning about what exists down here."

She looked as though the universe had just given her a gift. Despite the situation, Nikola couldn't help feeling a rush of triumph. he loved that look on her face. Maybe his blunder here had done her some good in the long run.

"It would make sense," he allowed thoughtfully. "And if one exists here, then the other two―"

A skittering sound distracted him from the rest of that thought and his head snapped forward down the tunnel. Their lights revealed something coming back up towards them. The queen, no doubt, back for round three with Nikola. If it thought it would get a shot in at Helen, it had another thing coming. Taking a half second, he felt his features change, teeth warping and thickening, eyes darkening, and talons showing. Lifting a hand to curl one finger in the direction of the creature threatening them, he firmly placed himself between the queen and Helen.

"Now, now, demanding attention never works out in the end."

As though to echo his words, he moved forward with all the speed of his ancestry. He struck with his talons and all the strength in his body, but the queen jerked her head at him. Catching him squarely in the stomach, she sent him flying. He landed with a thud against the wall of rocks and stones. Good thing he didn't really breathe the way a human did or that would have hurt.

"Ow," he grumbled all the same, picking himself up off the ground.

The sounds of a stunner distracted him just as the queen ant batted Helen down with one of its large legs. _Now_ it was personal. Nikola snarled, firing a burst of electromagnetism straight at the beast, to lure it over. It worked. The thing charged him and this time he couldn't dodge. But instead of bowling him over, the ant picked him up with its mandibles.

"Well, this is uncomfortable," he mused, as though this happened every day. "Usually, I only let one woman kiss me."

"Nikola!" Helen called to him, her tone equal parts worried and exasperated.

Well, there was nothing for it. He would have to save her life this time. Better that he deal with the queen alone than leave it to hurt her further.

He affected a world-weary sigh. "If she takes me, that leaves you to get to the Sanctuary and find the rest of your little family. Get going."

The queen turned back down the way she had come, giving Nikola the perfect view of Helen's distressed face as he disappeared down the tunnel as a prisoner.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was hardly an easy ride and Helen would never really know if it was stress or pain that made her fall unconscious, but the last thing she remembered of the journey was thinking that Nikola had changed a good deal in the last two years, while remaining steadfastly the exact same.

In any other context, it would've been funny that Nikola thought Helen would desert him when he clearly needed her help. The others weren't dealing with the ant queen; they could take care of themselves. Nikola had just been kidnapped. Like hell was she leaving him to get eaten or whatever else they might think up.

With that in mind, she made her choice. She gave chase.

It was a wild chase and she could hardly say it was a merry one. The ant led her through many twists and turns. She could see how this was an entire tunnel system with the way several connected as she passed. This one must have been a main thoroughfare. Dissecting the ants' behavior as she hurried along helped distract her from the distinctly painful feeling her sides were shoving at her each time she breathed. She might have fractured more than one rib in that cave-in, but she wasn't about to let Nikola out of her sight. 

Unfortunately, she wasn't in good enough condition to catch up to the ant queen, but she at least managed to find the large cavern it took Nikola to. She kept out of sight as the queen dipped down beyond a ridge. Creeping up, she peered down the chasm and into the cavern. This was, without a doubt, the ants' normal nest. She could see several working away down below, though a few approached the queen as she took Nikola to a rise in the middle of the nest, well above everyone's heads. Almost as though she were about to drop him to her cohorts. Further down, Helen could just make out the forms of Will, Henry, and Kate below, being guarded by at least two dozen ants. More stood between Helen and everyone else, but if she could get a hold of Henry's device, she might be able to free Nikola and the two of them together could draw the ants away from the others.

It was a risky plan and there was no guarantee that it would work, but it was worth a try. Besides, if she was right about it, the ants liked the EM pulses. To convince them that her staff weren't good at playtime, she had to become the best.

 _Bring on the Hail Mary._ She smirked, hidden in the dark.

Climbing down was difficult. More than once, she hit loose rocks and either jarred her ankle or skidded a ways down. Sometimes both. Wincing, she continued until she was within throwing distance. 

"Henry!" she called. "The device!"

Henry seemed to get the idea, though he hesitated before he tossed the thing to her. More, she suspected, because he didn't want her catching the ants' attention. Unfortunately for him, that was precisely what she was aiming for.

"You're hot when you're being magnetic," Nikola commented from his perch above, as though he had nothing better to do than watch her fight things for him like his own personal knight.

She ignored him, setting off a couple of bursts as she tried to draw the ants away from Henry, Will, and Kate. It took her some time to get used to the device. The magnetic field was strong and every step was a fight not to get stuck to it. As she had hoped, the little ones took her actions as a challenge and soon they were swarming her.

"You know what they say: polar opposites attract!" Nikola flirted shamelessly, as he always did.

"I'm trying to concentrate!" she snapped, motioning for her staff to leave their prison, even as she dodged retaliatory EM pulses from the ants. "Go! Use the Slinger to block the exits!"

"And leave you guys to fend for yourselves against these things?" Will looked at her as though she had grown another head and turned purple.

"No way!" Henry echoed.

"Magnus, you're crazy if you think we'll―"

"I need you all as the second line of defense in case something goes wrong!" she interrupted, wincing as she jarred her ribs. Damn, she was going to need a lot of rest when she was done with this. "Use the Slinger! Go!"

The weapon was highly useful, but it _still_ needed a new name.

The three of them hesitated, but the sight of the swarm turning in their direction had them rethinking everything. Helen shot a few more pulses at the straying ants before focusing on the queen. And Nikola.

"Let no one ever say you're a _static_ woman."

"Do you want me to save you or not?"

He glanced down at the queen ant as it turned its head in Helen's direction. "Right. Carry on."

"On my mark!"

He seemed to understand, giving the queen a swift kick with one foot to distract her as Helen primed her device. Hoping he was also working on his own EM pulse, Helen took a breath and aimed.

"Now!"

Her pulse zoomed straight for the queen just as Nikola's did. Both crashed into the head, at different points, though that was all Helen could watch. She had to dodge smaller ants, making her way around to the queen. A sickening crunch stopped her for half a second, until she realized that was the sound of Nikola's distressing landing. The queen had let him go, as she had hoped. Now she had to make sure he could walk so they could lead the ants further through the tunnels and away from the surface. 

She arrived to find him just as he stood, sending a larger pulse to keep the ants at bay. "Go, Nikola. I need you to make sure they get everything set up."

"I'm not leaving you," he insisted, gazing at her with his intensely blue eyes. 

"We don't have time to argue this. Go!" she snapped, letting off another pulse as they dodged EM bursts from the ants. 

"And the last time you told me to go without you, I turned around and you blew yourself up."

She tilted her head slightly, disliking the fact that he had brought _that_ up. Even if it was true.

"Besides, as someone once told me, 'Whatever happens, we face it together.'" He paused for a half-second, as though daring her to argue. She didn't. "I'm not leaving you."

Perhaps if they'd had more time, she would have argued the point. But they didn't. And he did have a point. While she wasn't expecting to blow anything up again this time, she did have a history of doing that. She could hardly ask him to leave her alone with these ants any more than he could ask her to leave _him_ alone with them. They would argue either way. So she decided to give in. At least if anything happened, they would be together and having both of their minds working on a problem was always better than one.

Reaching for his hand briefly, she nodded, tugging him in the direction of a tunnel opposite the one they had all come from. In an attempt to keep ahead of the swarm, they practically threw themselves down it. Helen was just glad that it appeared to be headed further underground, rather than up towards the surface. Finding a suitable nest seemed to take forever, but eventually, they nearly tripped on another cavern big enough to house the ants. By the time the two of them had gotten themselves down and into a position where they could leave again, Helen had one hand pressed to her side and her breathing was labored and painful. 

"We need a way to seal them in," Nikola pointed out. The edge to his tone suggested he was as concerned about this as she was. 

Helen held out the device, watching the ants finally turn back towards them. The queen looked least pleased about the chase she had been led on.

"I just need a minute to prime this and then we run."

"Back the way we came?"

She nodded, wincing again. He didn't look happy and she could guess why. Priming the device, she let off several smaller pulses to cave in the entrance where they stood. Then she set the device to overload. That would destroy any evidence of them and hide the two of them from the ants long enough for them to escape. The problem with the smaller pulses was that several rocks falling as a result hit her already injured body and she fell.

"Go!"

"Without you?" Nikola asked her in that flirting tone he had, though she could hear the edge of concern to it all the same. "Not a chance."

"Just go!" She didn't know why she was fighting this so hard, aside from the sheer fact that these ants could never be allowed to reach the surface and if she had to sacrifice herself to make sure of that, then she damn well would. 

He knelt down next to her, dramatic man that he was, and took her hands in his. "Consider this my vow to you," he murmured and she knew he was referencing the rest of their exchange that day while they were working on the Praxian map. It was his turn to make an unspoken vow that they would face whatever came together. She should have expected as much.

Despite every protest in her body, he gathered her into his arms and ran for the both of them. It was hardly an easy ride and Helen would never really know if it was stress or pain that made her fall unconscious, but the last thing she remembered of the journey was thinking that Nikola had changed a good deal in the last two years, while remaining steadfastly the exact same.

***

Helen's eyes fluttered open some time later, as Nikola set her down on a bed in the infirmary. She shifted, winced, and decided that right where he had placed her was a good spot to be.

"Don't get any ideas about making me your knight in shining armor," he huffed, though his voice was too soft to hold its customary bite. 

"But you're so good at it," she joked weakly, managing a small smile through her exhaustion as her lover began patching her up.

"I much prefer having you in one piece."

His words sank in, reminding her of something else that had recently passed between them, and her smile slipped off her face.

"Nikola..."

"Don't worry. I'm only wrapping your ankle and your arm, where you were bleeding. I promise I won't wrap your ribs because, yes, I _do_ pay attention in class."

He was only this argumentative when he was worried. Helen's expression softened.

"Nikola."

This time her gentle voice seemed to get through to him. He barely paused, glancing at her before continued with his work.

"I'm sorry, Nikola."

"For what?" He looked genuinely confused.

"When we found you down there, I was―" She paused, trying to decide how best to proceed. In the end, she opted for complete honesty. "―entirely unfair. You didn't deserve those accusations."

He finished wrapping her wrist before he would even glance at her, a fact that made her acutely aware of the presence of nerves. How strange. 

"They weren't entirely unfounded accusations," he admitted and she knew that was something he would never have said if anyone else were in the room to hear. "You were right. I don't always think everything through. I just wanted to keep something else out of SCIU's hands, something that was..." He hesitated, glancing at her as though worried she would accuse him of ulterior motives. "...important to you. Or would be."

Perhaps she could have, but all the same, he'd had good intentions and she wasn't in the mood to debunk those. "And you did. But next time tell me before you go gallivanting off?"

He offered a sharp nod in return, his hand slipping over hers in what she knew was a gesture as much for his comfort as it was for hers. She turned her hand over and wrapped her fingers around his, gently tugging until he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You had me worried," she continued softly. "I was afraid that SCIU would get to you and somehow find a way to kill you. I'm not ready―" Her voice cracked, causing her to pause to breathe before she could continue. "I can't be the last of the Five. I can't lose _you_ , too."

For a few seconds, his eyes turned heavy and he remained silent, as much a reaction to her words as anything else. Then his lips curled up into that infuriatingly cocky grin of his and she knew they would be all right. One of his hands strayed to push a piece of her hair away from her eyes as he leaned over to gently kiss her.

"In case you've forgotten, Allied High Command once gave me a Nazi spy for an assistant," he murmured, that smug grin still in place. "I think I can handle a few SCIU cronies."

She huffed out a laugh, winced as it jarred her injuries, and then smiled. Nazis, SCIU, Abnormals. Nothing was a threat to him and for that she was glad. She never wanted to know what it would be like to truly lose him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He nodded to Nikola as he passed, almost as though he were passing the baton of keeping an eye on Magnus. She wouldn't be surprised if they'd all come to some sort of truce regarding Nikola, since he'd kept such good care of her the last week and they hadn't been interrupted at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end, finally. I've really enjoyed this wild ride and hope all of you did as well. The kind words and support were greatly appreciated and kept me going. I'm kind of sad this is the last chapter, but that just means I'll have to do others like it!

It took a few days for Helen to recover well enough to move around extensively. Despite his grumbled protests, Nikola actually did make a good nurse and Helen considered calling him her knight in a shining black vest more than once. So far, she had spared him the humility, a fact that he likely owed her for. Not that he knew or that she would ever tell. Like as not, he suspected, given the secretive smile she had been giving him while he took care of her, but she never told him one way or another.

The end of the week came before Nikola would let her do anything strenuous and even then it was only to settle on the couch in her office. Lying down with a veritable fort of pillows to mitigate some of the pain. She just needed to keep breathing normally. That was the important thing. Everything else would happen on its own.

She didn't ask him to find the others to let them know that she was mobile again. They would find out on their own soon enough.

And they did. It barely took them an hour to begin filing into her office. Will was the first and, of course, with him came Abby. They both smiled at the sight of Helen and she felt that perhaps she and Will might have come to an understanding during all of this. That was one good outcome of the entire thing.

"Hey, look at you," Will teased, stopping by her feet.

"Yes, look at me, laid up on the couch and unable to move," she joked in return. "Don't get used to it."

His smile turned a little more serious. "You look good."

"For having two broken ribs, a sprained ankle, and more than a few lacerations on one arm, I don't feel half bad."

"I'm just glad we all made it out."

"As am I." Helen graced Will with a warm smile before turning her attention back to Abby. "Did you get my note?"

"Yes," Abby nodded firmly. "Gavin should be ready now, if you want to talk with him."

"I would, thank you. You can use the device on my desk."

Abby turned around, spotting one of the Praxian holo-projectors sitting on Helen's desk. Picking it up, she keyed in a few commands, twisting the dial on the side so the holographic imager would project Gavin's form once his connected. Handing it to Helen, she settled behind the couch, leaning on the back over Helen's head for a few minutes so she would be in the picture. For Gavin's peace of mind, Helen assumed. A second or two passed and then Gavin's image appeared on the projector. He had one of his own, which, Abby had told her, he was currently passing off as a Fitbit. Clever.

"Magnus." 

He sounded nervous, which Helen thought was to be expected. She smiled warmly to alleviate any anxiety she could for him. 

"I wanted to thank you for your help, Gavin. Abby tells me you were a tremendous help on the Surface. We never could have kept SCIU at bay without you."

Gavin's face morphed into one of surprise. Obviously he hadn't expected to hear that. Clearly the man didn't get much praise in his life. 

"I wanted to help. I just... didn't exactly know how."

"Not many of us do our first time out," Helen pointed out, thinking of some of her _other_ staff's first missions. "Nevertheless, you did a good job. You figured out a solution to a major problem and helped us avert a catastrophe. All in a day's work, I'd say."

Surprise melted slowly into gratitude and Helen thought she might be getting through to him. "Magnus... I wanted to thank you, too. For giving me this opportunity. I've never really had a place, an organization, where I felt wanted. Like I was a part of something. Not before the Sanctuary."

"You've more than proven yourself," Helen assured him, her smile still in place. "We didn't have the best introduction, any of us, but I'm glad to see that it's worked out as well as it has. Welcome to the Sanctuary, Gavin."

"Thank you, Magnus," he replied, sounding genuinely and intensely grateful. She was glad they had given him the opportunity, happier still that he had proven himself while working for them. Not that she had expected otherwise after Abby's glowing recommendation, but it was nice to see all the same.

As they terminated the communication and Helen handed the holographic emitter back to Abby to return to her desk, she heard the sound of feet running down the hallway. "Doc?" Henry's voice echoed as he and Erika all but bolted into the office. Clearly they had also been worried about her. Helen's smile took in Erika's form. A long time had passed since they had really had a chance to talk and as soon as she was feeling up to it, Helen needed to perform another prenatal check-up with Erika. Things should have been going well so far, but a few months had passed since Helen had last performed one. Even though someone else had kept up with Erika's pregnancy since then, the last thing they needed was to get behind now. 

Declan and Kate's arrivals distracted Helen from further thought and as she glanced around at them all, she felt a swell of pride arc through her. She loved this group of people, her staff of misfits and friends, and she would never trade them for anything in the world. 

"Well done, all of you," she said warmly, as though nothing else needed to be spoken. "I'm sure Nikola told you all that we got the ants secluded in a new nest. Abby tells me that SCIU remains unaware of their new home."

"Yeah, there was a huge electromagnetic burst about half a mile under the tunnels they were in," Henry explained. "Shorted out most of Old and New City. All of SCIU's equipment got fried and it wreaked havoc on their navigation systems."

"Add to that what Gavin was doing and they _still_ haven't gotten back to normal," Declan added on.

"Gavin says they're probably giving up, but he'll keep an ear out for what they do next," Abby piped up.

"Well done," Helen repeated gently, proud of all of them and how they had made everything work during this. "I'm only sorry we lost one of your devices, Henry."

"Good thing we have one left."

Helen glanced to the door across the room, where Nikola was striding in, turning over the remaining device in his hands as though he were examining a precious gemstone. Barely glancing at Henry, he gave the device a toss in his direction. Helen flinched, but her HAP son had good reflexes and caught it. His look of incredulity was almost amusing. 

"Dude, don't throw it! You could break the whole Sanctuary with that thing!"

"You're more than capable of saving us," Nikola pointed out with a shrug and that infuriating grin of his. 

Helen knew that was his way of saying he had faith in Henry's abilities, though she didn't quite know if anyone else would be able to pick that up from Nikola's words and demeanor. She shook her head with amusement as Henry took the device out of the room, muttering about being nice to Maggie. Will followed, commenting more on how Henry needed to spend less time with Tesla and stop picking up the vampire's naming conventions. Erika and Abby weren't far behind.

"Ah, Erika," Helen called before the HAP lady could get too far. Erika and Abby paused in the doorway, clearly curious about what she might want. "In another day or so I'd like to run another prenatal check-up on you. I've been keeping up with your records, but it's time I saw for myself."

Erika nodded, her face breaking into a pleased smile. "I'd like that," she agreed before she and Abby headed after their boys.

Kate stepped up to the couch to look Helen over. "It's about time I headed back to Praxis," she said gently. "Garris needs me, but I couldn't leave until I knew you were okay."

Helen's smile turned encouraging and reassuring as she watched Kate. She knew Kate was concerned mainly because she didn't like losing people she considered part of her extended family, a sentiment Helen shared very deeply. "I'm fine, Kate. It'll take more than a cave-in, a bunch of giant electromagnetic ants, and SCIU to keep me down."

Kate managed a smile, though Helen could see the worry still tinging the depths of her eyes, before she headed out. Helen wondered when they might see each other again. They didn't have nearly the opportunities that everyone else did.

Declan was last, though he paused on his way out, looking Magnus over as though to assure himself that she hadn't broken anything else in the mess. She knew he, like Kate, wouldn't be staying much longer.

"Heading back to London soon, I assume?" she questioned softly.

A nod greeted her in response, as much of an answer as she needed. "You're staying there?" he questioned, as though he expected her to get up as soon as he left. 

It wasn't an unfounded accusation, she supposed. Normally, she _would_ be inclined to overwork herself while she was still recovering. Right now, she wasn't really in the mood, and she had a feeling that was due at least in part to the other man in the room. The vampire who had threatened to sit on her to hold her down more than once during the last week.

"Right here," she assured Declan with a smile. 

"Good." His lips curled upwards in an echo of her expression. "Then I'll see you later." 

He nodded to Nikola as he passed, almost as though he were passing the baton of keeping an eye on Magnus. She wouldn't be surprised if they'd all come to some sort of truce regarding Nikola, since he'd kept such good care of her the last week and they hadn't been interrupted at all. Nikola merely sank down in a chair across from the couch so he could see Helen and, like as not, avoid betraying his worry to her staff. Everyone knew that he cared about her and that they were intimate in the dark reaches of the night or day, but they had never had reason to show it off except to each other behind closed doors. And that was as it should have been.

Helen's secretive smile returned as she watched Nikola. "I think you're the only vampire in history or fiction to have ever adopted a werewolf."

He scoffed, entirely for show, as she had known he would. "The only reason I did was to drive another wedge into those false pop culture references about my kind. Vampires and werewolves _can_ get along."

"Of course. It had nothing to do with you loving his adopted mother."

"Yeah, well." Nikola shrugged, the corners of his lips curling upwards just slightly, as though to say she might have been on to something. "If it did... I'll never tell."


End file.
